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Blades
A blade is the flat cutting edge of a knife, saw, or other tool or weapon. Blades are generally used in roleplay as swords, but this is not always the case as explained on the page. Blades versus Blunts The bladed weapon has been used for thousands of years in Gielinor, and is arguably the most popular type of weapon due to their wide array of types and uses. While blunts are used to apply blunt trauma to a certain area of attack, the blade is a much more sophisticated weapon in the sense that it can be used to hack off appendages and pierce through certain types of armor, arguably causing more damage than bruises and broken bones. Because the blade does not need to be large, it is more maneuverable than a blunt weapon, of which needs to be made of a bulk of dense material. Small Blades The main difference between knives and daggers is that knives almost exclusively maintain one sharp edge, to be used as a slashing or cutting weapon, while the point of daggers is, well, the point. Daggers do have two edges, but their primary use is thrusting strokes. Daggers Daggers have a wide plethora of uses, of both the stabbing and the slashing varieties, and the differing designs of daggers accommodates those different uses. Daggers can also be used as off-hand sidearms and concealed weapons for duelling and for assassinations respectively. Stabbing - Stabbing daggers tend to be slender and made to pierce through armour or the gaps in it, especially the misericorde, designed to deliver a coup de grace ''to fallen opponents. These usually complement the arsenal of a conventional combatant, rather than form a major part of their fighting, but can function as a final resort for a downed fighter. Furthermore, stabbing daggers are favoured by some assassins for easy disguise and the simplicity of slipping it into someone's back. '''Slashing' - Daggers for slashing feature a broader blade, working a bit like a short sword as a short ranged slashing weapon, but also can be used to stab. Examples of this sort of dagger include the Italian cinquedea, the Saxon seax or the Roman pugio. Both a forward and reverse grip can be used with these kind of weapons to cause bleeding wounds or, most damagingly, going for the throat. Parrying - Parrying daggers sit in the off hand whilst the main weapon, usually a sword, remains in the main hand. By using a parrying dagger, you can move with agility not granted by the larger and more secure defence of a shield. The crossguard of the stiletto helps in defending against swords and the option of an attack with the off hand remains viable to the duellist. Notably, the in game steel dagger looks very much like a stiletto. Another type of commonly used method of parrying with a dagger is to use a type of blade known as a 'sword-breaker'. They are made by carving large notches into one side of the blade of the dagger that are you to catch incoming swords, then snap and disable them with a turn of the user's wrist. Knives (Please contribute!) Thrown Throwing knives are designed with a sharp point and are used by throwing them at a target and impaling them with the point. Throwing knives are very ineffective in hand-to-hand combat, due to (to be continued). Swords Sickle Swords Sickle Swords, or even simply sickles, are among the oldest types of blade weaponry. These monsterous weapons are a unique slashing weapon that allows the user to hook his victim and slice limbs off with relative ease. Sickle swords derived from the typical farming sickle that was used to harvest grains and barley. Scimitars Scimitars are used as slashing weapons, favored among Kharidians, although the in game items representing scimitars are also popular for pirate's cutlasses and other kinds of heavy slashing swords (especially in terms of the adamant scimitar). Short Swords Short swords are blades that measure from around two to three feet. They are used in many close quarters situations due to their relative shortness. They may have a sharpened edge, but will almost always have a pointed tip used for stabbing a victim. Longswords Longswords are among the most commonly used variety of one-handed swords, notably among NPC guards. Their length makes them useful for piercing over shields or through chainmail armor quickly, but they often fall short when inexperienced users attempt to slash or cut with them. The straight blade makes them extremely ineffective in cutting, which, when coupled with their lack of weight, aren't able to do much more than light cuts on unarmored targets and are far better used for stabbing. Two-handed Swords Two-handed swords tend to be uncommon in role-play combat due to the numerous misconceptions about their use. Many role-players see them as clunky, slow, and difficult to swing and immediately assume that they weigh upwards of 25 lbs. Quite to the contrary, two-handed swords were originally designed to be used to disable polearms, sunder blades, break shields, and crush plate armor, rarely weighing more than 15 lbs. However, two-handed swords still fall flat when defending against smaller blades. When correctly used in role-play, they are formidable support weapons despite their defensive flaws. Axes Axes, often a favored weapon of barbarians, combine a reasonably sharp blade with a decent amount of weight in the axe head. Thus, a swung axe applies a large amount of force to a small area, making for devastating damage. The downside to an axe is that it is rather unwieldy and requires a lot of room to be swung around. Hatchet and Thrown Axe In terms of thrown axes, there are two types that you would normally come across. The standard throwing axe, which is simply a handle and blade balanced for throwing, and a hurlbat, which is a metal axe with several sharpened surfaces designed to inflict wounds wherever it hits the enemy. Stored on backs, belts or in bags, they are ready for quick use. They can be relied upon for melee use, although they are far more suited for their ranged use. In recent times, they've come into standard use by the Sicarius and the Kandar Armed Forces. War axe (Battle Axe) These are double-bladed axes, generally used by Barbarians. They allow for strong swings, in either direction, meaning that it is possible to swing, then swing again, bringing your blade up. They can be used with an off-hand weapon or shield, or used with two hands to deliver an extra-powerful blow. Halberds Halberds are long, two-handed slashing weap ons, with a blade similar to an axe. The blade is mounted on a long stick, allowing for attacking enemies from distance. They are often used with guards, and two guards with crossed halberds will often stand in front of a doorway to guard it. They can be either double or single-bladed, and may have a spike on the end. Category:Combat Category:Guides Category:Melee Category:Rangers